This invention relates generally to novelty writing pens, and more particularly to a pen which presents the appearance of a fruit or other familiar object having a characteristic odor and whose writing ink incorporates as a component thereof a volatile oil or other scent-producing liquid, so that when the user writes with the pen, the resultant smell exuded from the writing surface suggests the object's odor.
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument in which a tiny ball housed in a socket at the tip transfers ink from a tubular reservoir onto the writing surface. The ink is a viscous fluid containing a dye which may be oil or spirit-soluble. The ball, which is usually made of steel and in some cases of synthetic sapphire, when not moving, acts to seal the end of the ink reservoir, thereby preventing the ink from drying out. In some instances, the pen makes use of a felt tip to obtain a broader writing stroke.
In some commercially-available pens, the tubular ink reservoir which terminates in a tip is a separable unit which may be replaced when the ink is exhausted. In other instances, the reservoir is locked into the sheath of the pen, so that one simply disposes of the pen when the ink is exhausted. The concern of the present invention is with standard pen of the above type which employ a viscous ink as distinguished from relatively-expensive fountain pens which make use of non-viscous inks and flexible pen points.
A novelty writing pen in accordance with the invention is adapted when used as a writing instrument to exude a distinctive odor which simulates the natural aroma of a familiar odoriferous object, such as a fruit or a sausage.
As used herein, the terms "aroma" and "scent" are not limited to pleasant or savory fragrances but encompass all known odors, whether agreeable or offensive, which are characteristic of odoriferous objects. The term "odoriferous object" includes not only fruits and other forms, such as frankfurters, but animals such as skunks, which give off easily recognized and distinctive odors.
Aroma-producing chemicals are incorporated in numerous products on the market: cosmetics, soaps, scented papers, tobacco and many types of household products. Though most chemical aromas are created with a pleasing effect in mind, other functions are served thereby. Thus it is the common practice to add to an otherwise odorless fuel gas which is toxic, a pungent odor which functions to warn those who sense this odor that a gas line leak exists.
It is now possible to chemically-synthesize aromas to set moods, associations and reactions, in addition to these aromas that are aesthetically pleasing but otherwise without meaning.
Volatile oils and other scent-producing substances used in perfumes were originally derived from natural substances. However, once the chemical composition of any of these substances is identified, the same composition, however complex, can in most cases now be duplicated by organic synthesis. Representative of such duplications are the following familiar scents and their related compounds:
Apple--Geranyl PA1 Lemon--Citral PA1 Pine--Bornyl Isovalerate PA1 Strawberry--Ethylmethylphenyl glycidate.
In my above-identified copending application, there is disclosed an aroma-dispensing sticker that is attachable to an article of clothing. The sticker includes an applique sheet contoured to represent an odoriferous object such as a flower, the scent dispensed by the sticker simulating the characteristic natural odor of the flower. The prior art made of record in this copending application, which has now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,283,011, is therefore also pertinent to the present invention which deals with an odor-generating writing pen having the appearance of an odoriferous object.